Bid Peace and Hope on pale dejection fhine, These are thy nobleft praise, and these be mine.' Art. 21. Redemption: A Poem. By Henry Brooke, Efq; 4to. I s. 6d. White. 1772. Mr. Brooke, the Author of Guftavus Vafa, and of the Fool of Quality, is known to have great merit, and great faults as a Writer. This little poem has fome marks of a strong imagination; and many of a bad taite. The Author is orthodox in his divinity, and fuch of his verses as are most exceptionable to us, may be highly edifying to those who hold the fame principles that Mr. Brooke hath maintained in all his later productions. We fhall give the Reader the conclufion of this poem, as being in our opinion, the best and most unexcep tienable part of it: • GOD! Thou haft faid, that nature shall decay, Fill'd with our GOD, and with our GOD indu'd !' Art. 22. The Sentimental Sailor; or St. Preux to Eloifa. An Elegy, in Two Parts, with Notes. 4to. 2 s. 6d. Edinburgh printed, and fold by Dilly in London. 1772. The Author of the following poem, his imagination ftill warm from a first reading of the Nouvelle Heloife, compelled, in a manner, by the irrefiftible impulfe of awakened fenfibility, has presumed to trace, though with a trembling hand, a few of the ftrokes, equally bold and delicate, of this celebrated Writer. His theme is ST. PREUX, paffionate, vehement, tender, fentimental-making with lord Anfon the tour of the globe, to recover his distracted mind by the view of the grandeft fight the eye of man can behold: St. Preux, full of that noble elevation, that fierté of foul, natural to a great characer depreffed by fortune, but not the lefs confcious of its worthSt. Preux, conftantly purfued by the image of his mistress, whom he cannot renounce,-feeing nothing in the univerfe but Eloisa, his loft, loft Eloifa.'-Author's Introduct. p. x. We were thus deluded into an expectation of fomething truly pafSonate and pleafing! We can now fay with the Author, What a fubject for elegy! but how dangerous to retouch a picture drawn by a Raphael, or a Corregio! The The Reader may take the following lines as fair fpecimens of the Author's manner of writing: 'O ELOISA! Woman! faithlefs kind! Light as the leaf that floats on autumn's wind! O rocks of Meillerie! where oft I ftood But, but for thee, I all my life had spent I ne'er had deign'd to mark, in mind ferene, Ah! wherefore, wherefore to the wretch is given Ah! wherefore only in the poet's dream, ⚫ Since broke the fpell, fince fled the golden dream Art. 23. The Origin of the Veil. A Poem. By Dr. Langhorne, 4to. I s. Becket. 1773. This little poem is compofed on the well known ftory recorded by Paufanias, When it was given in choice to Penelope, to remain with her father, or to depart with her lover, fhe drew her veil over her face to hide her blushes, and told him all that modefty could tell.' The verfification is, in general, eafy and elegant; and the moral amiable and excellent, The poem, however, feems to bear about it marks of negligence or hafte. The Reader will judge for himself by the following paffage: Chief of thofe charms that hold the heart in thrall Not Cynthia rifing o'er the watry way When on the dim wave falls her friendly ray; That drinks the day's firft glories as they rife, The paragraph is here intirely concluded; and the Reader mus have more than common fagacity to perceive the Author's meaning On the other hand, we acknowledge with pleasure, that the ftory of Ulyffes, Penelope, and Icarius, is told pleasingly, and poetically. And if it did not conflitute the greater part of the poem, we should be tempted to give it the Reader. In contraft, however, to the quotation above, it is but juice to Dr. Langhorne, to tranfcribe the following lines: No longer now, the father's fondness ftrove The daughter's form the pictured goddefs wore, The daughter's veil before her blushes bore, And taught the maids of Greece this fovereign law She most shall conquer, who fhall moft withdraw.' A Poem. Infcribed to the Supporters of the Bill of Rights. 4to. 1 s. 6d. Evans. 1972. It is hard to fay whether the good caufe of patriotifin hath suffered moft difgrace from the vile hypocrites and traitors who have enlisted under, and deferted, its banners; or from the wretched rhymers who have ftrummed their unmufical inftruments in its praife. But as the latter appear to be better men, as being, perhaps, honeft in their intentions, it feems a pity to involve them all in one comprehenfive cenfure; it may be fo, but really, of the two, the fools are often more provoking than the knaves. Art. 24. The Patriot. A Poem. Art. 25. The Meffiah. A Poem. By the late Simon Goodwin, Schoolmaster of Maidstone, in Kent. 4to. 6d. Baldwin. If the title-page had not informed us to the contrary, we should have imagined that this poor production had been written by a fchoolboy.It is the peculiar misfortune of the mufes, to be perpetually difgraced by their well-meaning but wrong-headed votaries; at the fame time that religion and humanity unite to plead in favour of thefe unwitting offenders, and fave them from the refentment of tafte, and the lafh of criticifm. Art. 26. An Epille to David Garrick, Efq; By E. Lloyd, M. A. 4to. 2 5. Richardfon and Urquhart. 1773. Mr. Lloyd compliments Mr. Garrick The bright fon of merit and of fame,' on the abufe frequently cait on him, efpecially of late, by fwarms of literary gnats Theatric beetles, and be-docter'd bats. This Writer, however, we think, is lefs fuccefsful in his attack on thefe poor vermin, than Tom Brown, of facetious memory, was, in his farcalic and favoury lines on the wits who never failed to dart their ftings at Sir Richard Blackmore, whenever the Knight was unfortunate enough to publish a new poem: "Such fwarms of wits on Blackmore! moft abfurd? A thoufand flies attack- &c.". WORKS, vol. 1. Art. 27. The Trial of Dramatic Genius. A Poem. To which is added, a Collection of Mifcellaneous Pieces. 8vo. 2 s. Goldfmith. We are forry that we cannot beflow commendation on this trial of dramatic genius. The Author has a knack of verifying on fubjects which feem to have cost him but little thinking: at least with any degree of originality. The mifcellaneous pieces have very little merit of any kind. ARCHITECTURE. Art. 28. The Principles of Bridges: containing the mathematical demonstrations of the properties of the Arches, the thickness of the Piers, the force of the Water against them, &c. By Charles Hutton, Mathematician. Newcastle, printed. 8vo. 2 s. 6 d. Wilkie. 1772. An attempt to perfect the theory, and to facilitate the conftruation of bridges; in which the Author has taken pains to investigate and demonftrate the chief properties, relations, and proportions of the feveral parts of a bridge, as they conduce to its ftrength, utility, and beauty. To thofe, who have little acquaintance with this fubject, and who are furnished with the neceffary mathematical learning for understanding the Author's calculations, this introduction may be of ufe. The general principles of arches and piers, &c. are explained and applied with concifenefs, though not with all the accuracy which might be withed. But to those who are adepts either in the theory or practice of bridge making, this fmall treatife can be of no great service. No VEL S. Art. 29. The Anchoret. A moral Tale. In a series of Letters. Izmo. 3 Vols. 7 s. 6d. fewed. Newbery. 1773. A decent and modeft, though not a very interesting tale; notwith→ standing that there is much bufinefs done in the courtship way, and a great number of marriages performed: to which end many perfon ages are introduced, but not many characters. The fentiments are moral, and the language, on the whole, fuperior to that of many productions of this kind. Yet the diction is in fome places ftiff, in others incorrect, and frequently filled with what the Writer might think prettinees of phrafe and expreflion. But as, doubtless his (or her)" every faculty" was ftrained to delight the gentle Readers, who, we fuppofe to be chiefly females, it is to be hoped they will be candid and favourable to the Author, who feems to be one of their own fex. Art. 30. The Man of Honour; or the History of Harry Waters, Efq; 12mo. Vols. 2 and 3. 5 s. fewed. Noble. Vain were the hopes we expreffed, on reading the first of thefe fupid volumes, that we fhould never be troubled with any more of them. The public, or the circulating librarians, have formed a different judgment of the merit of this work, and, lo! the fequel is before us. But-Here! boy, fhew Sir Harry Waters into the kitchen. Art. 31. The Rambles of Mr. Frankly; published by his Sifter. Izmo. 2 Vols. 5 s. fewed. Becket. 1772. The jufly admired Sentimental Journey, has evidently given birth to Sentimental Rambles. Imitations are generally read with difadvantage to the Author; and this will probably prove to be the cafe with Rev. Dec. 1771. P. 503. F 4 regarl regard to the pair of Shandy-volumes before us.-Yet this little flight performance obviously fhews that Mr. Frankly is very capable of walking alone if he pleafes, and of pursuing his ramble to the temple of fame, without leaning on the arm of Sterne, or any other conductor. FARRIER Y. Art. 32. Prolical Farriery; or the Complete Directory, in whatever relates to the Food, Management, and cure of Difeafes incident to Horfes. The whole alphabetically digefted, and illuf⚫trated with Copper-plates. By John Blunt, Surgeon at Leominster, Herefordshire. 12mo. 3 s. 6 d. bound. Robinfon. 1773. The Author, who, notwithstanding the bad English of his titlepage, feems to be a fenfible man, acknowledges the merit of Bracken's, Gibson's, and Bartlet's productions; but he observes that in farriery, as well as in other ufeful arts, there are many defiderata ; and, that, therefore the flightest attempt to improve an art fo confeffedly useful, needs little apology. He thinks he has added many ufeful and important particulars to the obfervations of former writers; and he modeftly hopes that his work will be used till his Readers find a better. NAVIGATION. Art. 33. Ufeful, eafy Directions for Seamen, who use Hadley's Quadrant, &c. 8vo. 1 s. 6 d. Richardfon, &c. 1772. Thefe Directions feem to be the genuine production of an honeft, open-hearted feaman; they are written in a very familiar and homely file, and may be of real fervice to those mariners, who (in our Author's phrafeology) are defirous of knowing "the meaning of what they are about.' We cannot help fmiling at the unaffected fimplicity and freedom with which our Author declares the motives of his writing and publishing on this fubject. "The chief reafon (fays he) for putting out this book was, to try to make that knowledge, which the Almighty has bleffed me with, ufeful to fomebody; for I am fure it is fuch knowledge as many feamen would be glad to have." DRAMATIC. Art. 34. Sir Harry Gaylove, or Comedy in Embryo, in Five Acts. By the Author of Clarinda Cathcart, and Alicia Montague. 8vo. 2 s. 6d. Edinburgh, printed for the Author and fold by Dilly, &c. in London. 1772. This is one of thofe unfortunate productions which may be confidered as ftill-born. The Writer gives a prefatory account of her difappointment in attempting to bring it on the ftage. In this narrative are fome circumftances apparently to the disadvantage of our managers; and efpecially of Mr. Foote, who does not feem to have treated her with that plain dealing fo ufual with him. This ill ufage on the one hand, and the commendations of Lord Chesterfield and Lord Littleton on the other, induced her to publish the play. It feems to be formed on the celebrated adventure of Lord Band Mifs W. Many of the circumftances however are different; and the catastrophe, as ufual, is a clufter of weddings, We are always inclined to favour a lady, as well as to pity the unfortunate. We with, therefore, we could by any honeft means 3 repair |